First there’s the planning. Then there’s the procuring. Finally there’s the preparation. And, if you’re lucky enough to make it seamlessly through these steps, you’re likely then faced with the following: picky eaters.

It’s enough to have anyone reaching for that creased, well-loved takeout menu on the regular.

Chef Trevor Bird.Kevin Clark /
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But, according to chef Trevor Bird of Fable Kitchen in Vancouver — who is also a culinary ambassador for Real Canadian Superstore — creating and serving up simple suppers at home that also happen to be healthy and delicious can be easy.

“People think it’s going to take a lot of time, or they’re intimidated,” Bird says of some of the misconceptions he faces regarding creating home-cooked meals.

“But it’s basically taking the principles of running a restaurant and putting them to work in your home kitchen.”

It all starts with building a meal plan.

“For the meal plan, the first thing you do is create a menu. Then, you write down all the ingredients you’ll need for the meals,” he says. “Then, you go down to the store and buy the freshest ingredients you can find.”

Bird says the following prep step of washing, chopping and peeling the various ingredients should take about an hour, while the final assembly can take as little as 20 minutes.

While it may take more time than picking up the phone and ordering that go-to chow mein or pad Thai, Bird says carving out some time to plan the week’s meals will pay off exponentially from both a time-saving and a health perspective.

“Taking a little chunk of time in your week will provide you with good energy, and actually save you tons of time in the long run,” he says. “You can’t underestimate the power of whole foods.”

Bird says pre-planning is imperative to creating dishes that are “fresh, healthy, and on-budget.”

“Try your hardest to meal plan,” he says. “It’s all about organizing your life so that you can actually eat good food, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.”

While the idea of mapping out a weekly menu for your family may seem like a huge task, Bird says it’s a simple, speedy process.

“It should only take you two hours of your week to prep for your whole week of meals,” he says.

Another common misconception of creating healthy meals at home with a meal plan is that the menu becomes stale and monotonous.

Bird says that with a little help from the internet, boredom is easily avoidable.

“There are so many resources out there to expand your cooking horizons,” Bird says of the unlimited online inspiration.

Taking a few minutes to look up recipes using ingredients you commonly stock in your kitchen can yield a plethora of taste test-worthy dishes. Just be ready for a little trial and error.

“I do this every week for my family,” Bird says of the recipe exploration. “And there are some combinations where my wife will say, ‘you know, that one didn’t quite work for me.’”

Bird says that with feedback it’s easy to modify the menu.

“There’s a little trial and error,” he admits. “But every week we get better and better.”

So, how do you get started? It all begins with how you shop at the grocery store.

“A really good piece of advice I was given was to shop only on the outside of the supermarket,” Bird says. “Because everything on the outside is whole foods, and everything on the inside is more processed.

“In your pantry, you should have tons of vegetables and tons of fresh fruit,” he advises. “You can create pretty much anything by having a well-stocked fridge with just these items.”

A good place to start is with common staples such as apples, bananas, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and carrots. “Then what you’d have to buy more often are the proteins,” Bird says. “But it’s a great place to start.”

For quick protein in a hurry that is also cost-effective and has a good shelf life, stock up on legumes such as chick peas, kidney beans, and black beans.

“Everybody in Vancouver definitely likes to be on a budget,” Bird says with a laugh. “And, if you don’t feel like chicken or beans, you can add quinoa or tofu,” he says of alternate protein sources. “Or you can opt not to have a protein at all.”

When using a protein such as chicken, pork or beef, Bird says it’s good to consider a menu of meals that can incorporate the same protein source again so there’s no waste.

“Usually you buy a giant piece of rib-eye and it’s way too much meat. You’re going to have leftovers,” he says. “If you don’t mind using similar proteins, it doesn’t take too much longer to make both a lunch and dinner.

“Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese with pulled short rib on it, which is essentially what a braised rib-eye is? Or you can have a mac and cheese with braised rib-eye in it, which would also not suck. Or, you could simply heat it up in a soup.”

The list of possible dishes, Bird says, goes on. “The amount of things you can do with (a meat) after the first meal is quite impressive,” he says.

When cooking for kids, Bird has one fail-safe tip he says will keep them happy with home-cooked meals.

“I have a two-year-old, so I’m very familiar with this tactic — what I do is I will begin with a plan in mind and I’ll start to cook everything,” he says.

“Then, before I add salt, oil, fat or butter — or any time I start to add spices, herbs or anything green — I will always remove a portion for my kid. Then, I can continue to cook the recipe for my wife and I.”

Bird says removing some of the finicky flavours and ingredients during the cooking process ensures the dish is kid-friendly without any extra effort, while also being palatable for adults.

“It gives us the flavours that we want without upsetting our kid’s palette,” he says.

Another way to get kids on board with the menu planning is to get them to help with the food preparation.

“Incorporating different equipment, such as a spiralizer or mandolin for vegetables, can be fun for older kids,” Bird says.

It’s a way for kids to play with their food first — and then enjoy it later, too.

Related

Recipes

Mason jar Chop Salad

This simple-yet-delicious salad takes 30 minutes to prep and 40 minutes to cook. “This salad can be made up to two days in advance. When you want it, simply take it out of the fridge and shake it, place it in a bowl and eat it,” Bird says. “And, if you don’t want to make extra dishes, eat it out of the jar.”

Chicken

6 chicken breasts

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil

On your prep day, turn oven to 250 F (120 C) and let preheat. Season with oil, salt and pepper. Place chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Place in fridge until ready to use (up to 5 days).

Chef’s tip: The temperature may seem low but it will be the most moist chicken breast you have ever had. At any point, cube the chicken up for the salad.

Salad:

2 tbsp (30 mL) PC Ranch Dressing

2 tbsp (30 mL) broccoli florets blanched, cut into bite size pieces

2 tbsp (30 mL) peppers, diced

3 tbsp (45 mL) chicken, cubed (see recipe above)

Large pinch feta cheese crumbles

1/2 apple, thinly sliced.

2 tbsp (30 mL) bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked until crispy

10 grape tomatoes, halved

Baby spinach

Layer the ingredients in order given into a 4-cup (1 L) Mason jar. Fill to top of jar with baby spinach

Chef’s tip: It’s very important to build the salad layers in order so the salad doesn’t get soggy.

Makes 4 servings

Braised Rib Eye with root vegetables and roasted potatoes

“Have you ever braised a rib-eye?” Bird asks. “Neither have I, until I saw my mother-in-law do it and it blew me away.” This slow-cooked beef takes 30 minutes to prep and four hours to cook.

4.4 lb (2kg) bone-in AAA rib eye

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Bouillon concentrate to make 4 cups (1 L)

4 cloves of garlic

2 onions, cut into quarters

6 carrots, peeled and cut into two

6 parsnips, peeled and cut into two

24 PC Golden Little Gems Yellow Mini Potatoes

1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp (100 mL) pure olive oil

Salt to taste

1 heaped tbsp (15 mL) PC Whole Grain Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar

Boil potatoes until they can easily be pierced with a fork (include this in your meal prep, they’ll keep fresh in the fridge for a few days) Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C).

Season the rib eye thoroughly with salt and pepper. Sear the meat in a large pot on all sides until it’s golden brown.

Place in a PC Dutch Oven (or other ovenproof pot) and place in stock, garlic, onions, carrots and parsnips. Cover with lid. Cook for four hours until the bones can easily be pulled off. Take out of oven. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes. The beef can rest, and will stay hot with a lid on until the potatoes are ready.

Turn the oven up to 400 F (205 C), toss the potatoes in oil and salt to taste and eat one to ensure good seasoning. Roast them for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.

If you want to thicken your gravy drain the liquid from the beef and skim the fat off with a ladle. Put in a pot and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch and 1 tbsp (15 mL) water. Slowly drizzle the cornstarch in and whisk. If you don’t want to use cornstarch you can use rice flour instead.

Season gravy with mustard and red wine vinegar. Place all potatoes and vegetables around beef and serve.

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